During that time, Arsenal slipped out of title contention, but Wenger insists there was more to their slump than the loss of Ramsey, with numerous players having been sidelined in 2013/14.

"I would not like to take anything away from Aaron Ramsey but we lost a number of other players in the same period and altogether I think that would harm the chances of many teams," Wenger told reporters.

"We would love for the season to be longer. We were top of the league but lost too many players at the crucial point of the season."

Three league wins on the spin have put Arsenal back in the driving seat to claim the fourth Champions League spot, with Laurent Koscielny, Mesut Ozil and Olivier Giroud all finding the net during their win over the Magpies, and Wenger believes his men are now capable of taking six points from their final two games of the season.

"We had some problems at the start of the game, trying to find our way through the defence," he added. "When we found an opening we became stronger.

"We are four points ahead of Everton and we want to take maximum points from now until the end of the season."

Arsenal's four-point lead over Everton means Wenger's men are now just one win from Champions League qualification with two matches left to play.